Divided action for pianos.



PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

T. DANQUARD. DIVIDED ACTION FOR PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1905.

2 SHEETS- BHEET l.

li h (iii/ @556 a n T. DANQUARD.

DIVIDBD ACTION FOR PIANOS. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29. 1905.

PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

' z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Parana. OFFICE. 4

THOMAS DANQUARD, OF NEW YORK, Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE AUTOPIANO COMPANY, A.

. CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

DIVIDED ACTION FOR PIANOS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS DaN UARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county ofNew York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Divided Action for Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

In pianos especially of that class which are provided with mechanical or neumatic playing attachments, it is desirab e to have some means by which the upper notes can be played louder than the lower notes or vice versa, so that the air or theme can be brought out and the accompaniment softened.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple mechanism directly controlling the pi ano action for this purpose and this controlling mechanism is also arranged so that the same is adjustable whereby the difference in action between the various sections of the piano can be adjusted, permitting very fine shading and expression. This controlling mechanism is obtained by providing means controlled by the player or o erator for collectively adjusting the operative effect of the connections to a section of actions and preferably by adjusting the operative leverage in the connections. The invention further consists of important combinations to effect these desirable purposes, 'as hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the-specification and referred to in the claims.

'Referring to the accompanying two sheets of drawings forming part of this application for patent, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a p ano action constructedaccording to my invention. Fig. 2 is a partial view'sim'ilar to Fig. 1 illustrating the arts in adiflerent position, and Fig. 3 is a iagrammatic perspective view illustrating a simple form of lever action that may be used to control the ad- Referring to the drawings and in detail, a single piano action of standard type is shown, the operation of which itis not necessary to describe as the same is well understood.-

In this piano action, A designates the wippen or operating3part which is fulcrumed or pivoted at a and the abstract, which latter may be operated from a piano key O in the .ordinary way so that the piano may be pltiyed manually as well as mechanically.

designates motor means which ma be an operating pneumatic for each key, w ich Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented. May 19, 1908.

Application filed November 29, 1905. Serial N00 283,573.

\ pneumatics are used when the piano is to be played mechanically.

The operating rod 1(3 of each pneumatic enga es the short end of an L-shaped bar 11. This ar has a pin 12 at its upper end which fits in a bearing piece 13 connected to the abstract B.

The bar 11 is pivoted at its lower end to a link 14 which linleis pivoted on a bracket 15 secured to a cross-bar in the piano.

The abstract B is slotted so that the link 14 can pass through the same without engagement therewith.

16 designates a pushing lever which is set in position to bear on the under side of the wippen A, the wippen being cut-or formed on a curve, as shown for this urpose. The link passes through a s ot 17-cut in the pushing lever 16 and is pivoted thereto by a pin 18. The slot 17 is cut on an incline as shown more particularly in Fig. 3, and a small piece of felt 19 is arranged at the sharp end thereof so that an inclined wire spring 20 attached to the link 14 can bear thereon.

When the key C is depressed, the abstract Bwill raise the wippen A to operate the action and it will be noted that the mechanism before detailed will not interfere with this action.

When the note is struck mechanically through the pneumatic or other means, the operating rod 10 will lift the bar 11 which will raise the link 14 and will impart the motion.

through the pushing rod 16 to the wippen A. It will be noted that as this action takes place, the abstract B will merely be raised or 'fted away from the key 0 and will not form a part of the mechanism for striking the note. It will be noted that as the power or blow is imparted to the wippen A through the pushing bar 16, if the pushing bar is adjusted toward or away from the fulcrum a .of the wippen, that the blow or impulse imparted to the striking mechanism can be varied. It also will benoted that the pushing bar 16. can be rocked on its pin or pivot 18 for this purpose. Therefore, by using this mechanism and providing suitable controlling means, the desirable effects above noted can be obtained; that is to say, the piano action can be divided into a plurality of sections and the actions of these sections relatively to the others can be adjusted when the 1piano is played mechanically or pneumatical yby ad- I get the desiredresult.

j usting the pushing bars 16 of each section to It also will be noted that each ushing bar 16 can be adjusted within its imits of movement so that this relative ratio can be adjusted.

To. operate or control the position of the pushing rods 16, the following mechanism is provided. A spring 21 is secured to the ower end of each pushing rod 16. A rod 22 has its ends turned around at 23, as shown in Fig. 3, so that the same can be pivoted in the cross-bar of the piano and so that the same can turn around the said bent ends as a center. The rod 22 is preferably provided with small pieces of felt glued thereto inproper osition to cooperate with the springs 21. he rod 22 can be turned on its ends 23 by any suitable means or mechanism. A convenient form of mechanism that may be em loyed for this purpose is illustrated in Fig. 8. he same consists of a hook 25 which engages. the 'rod 22, which hook is secured on shaft 26 which has a bent end 27 which is connected by link 28 to a pivoted bell-crank lever 29, which latter is connected by a link '30 to an operating finger-piece arranged at a convenient point in. the reach of the operator.

The rod 22 is arranged to control a selected section of the actions. That is to say, the piano action as a whole is divided intoa plurality of sections. (his of these sections can alone be operated and controlled or two or more sections can be operated and controlled as indicated in Fig. 3.

When the finger-piece 31 is operated or moved, the rod 22 will be swung up as indicated in Fig. 2, thereby adjusting the action of the notes making up the particular section controlled by the rod 22'. Therefore, by manipulating the fingeri'ece, the results above noted can be obtains An important point in the operation of this device results from the use of the springs 20 and 21. The spring 20 is .arranged so that it will tend normally to throw the upper end of the pushing bar 16 to the right asshown in Fig. 1. The spring 21 is made more powerful than the spring 20 so that it will overbalance the spring 20, when its full strength is brought into action by swinging the rod'22.

Asv the rod 22 is usually operated or adjusted while the instrument is playing, the adjustment may and often will take place when oneorrnore abstracts of the particular section is raised and one or more pushing bars 16 under tension. This would make it hard to adjust the pushing bar 16 but when the adjustment is made, the spring 21 of any particular pushing bar which happens to be raised or under pressure, will be put. under tension so that so soon as thenote is released, the s ring 21 will bring the pushing bar to its adjusted position. Substantially the same action will take place if the tension of the spring 21 is released when the pushing bar is under pressure so that when the pressure is released, the spring 20 will bring the pushing bar to the position which it is to assume by the adjustment'of the rod 22. Thus the light and heavy springs will cause the pushing bars to assume their adjustedpositions only when the particular actions are.

not under pressure or in operation.

It will be noted that the'movable pushing bar when in normal position or forward, as shown in Fig. 1, will transmit the full power of the striking pneumatic to the hammer and that when it is moved backward or toward the fulcrum of the wippen, the leverage on the wippen is shortened and more power is required to strike the same note or the same power consequently strikes a lighter blow. Therefore, the blows on the particular section of notes of a piano can he graduated at the will of the player. Therefore, as above described, by dividing the piano action into a plurality of sections, the sections can be played differently and all the advantages of a graduated divided action obtained. Thus, by the mechanism described, a simple and effective apparatus is rovided which greatly adds to the artistic e "ects which can be obtained. in mechanically d'perated pianos. It

will also be noted that the key action is the same no matter where the adjusting red is left. i

The operating means of course, can be of any kind; that is, the piano may be played by hand by power or by electricity well as by pneumatics, it being understood that the impulses from the mechanism are imparted to the operating rods 10.

- The details herein shown and described may be greatly modified by a skilled. mechanic withoutdcparting from the scope of my invention as expressed in the claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. in musical instrument, the combination of actions, wippens therefor, abstracts pivotally connected with the wippens, ad ditional connections for operating the actions comprising pushing bars pivoted below and engaging the wippens of the actions, and means for collectively adjusting the ends of the pushing bars which engage the wippens.

2. actions, of means for operating the actions com rising pivoted links, pushing bars pivotal y connected with the links, springs nor mally tending to keep the pushing bars in one position, an adjusting rod, and springs between the pushing bars and adjusting rod.

3. In a piano, the combination with the actions, of means for operating the actions comprising pushing bars, springs normally ten, ing to throw the pushmg tending to throw the pushing bars in .one'

direction, and springs tending to throw the pushing bars in the other direction.

4. In a piano, thecombination with the actions, of meansfor operating the actions, com rising pushing bars, sprin s normally ars 1n one direction, and springs tending to throw the pushing bars in the other direction when put under tension, the last named springs being of' a strength sufficient to overcome the action of the first named springs.

5. In a piano, the combination of a section of actions, means for operating the actions comprising pushing bars, sprin s normally tending to throw the pushing ars in one direction, a rod for controlling the action of I the pushing bars, and springs between the and adjusting rod.

being heavier or overbalancing the first.

named springs.

7. In a piano, the combination of a section of actions, means for operating the actions comprising. pivoted links, pushing bars pivoted thereto, and connectionsto the pivoted links, springs normally tending to keep the pushing bars in one position, an adjusting rod, and springs between the pushing bars 8. In a piano, the combination of a section of actions, abstracts therefor, means for operating the .actions comprising ivoted links, pushing bars pivoted to the lin s, and v an adjusting rod for determining the position of the pushing bars;

9. In a muslcalinstrument, the combinationwith the actions, means, for operating the actions comprisin pivoted links, slotted ushing bars pivotaly connedtedwith the 'nks, springs engaging the slots in the pushing-bars, springs connected with the pushing bars, and an adjusting rod bearing onthe last named s rings.

v 10. In a p1ano, the combination of a sec: tion of actions, means for operating the actions comprising pivoted links andslotted pushingbars pivoted to said links, springs engaging the to s of said slots, springs on the end of the pushing bars, and an adjusting rod bearing on the last named springs.

11. In a'piano, the combination with the actions and the abstracts therefor, said ac tions being divided into sections, of means for operating said sectionsof actions com prising pivoted links, ushing bars pivoted to the links, and a plura ity of adjusting rods,

one for each section of actions for determining the positions of said pushing bars.

12. In a musicalinstrument, the combination of the actions divided into series,

wippens therefor, abstracts pivotally connected with the wip ens, pivotal connections for operating t e actions comprising pushing bars pivoted below and engaging the wippens-of the actions, and a plurality of means, one for each section of actions for collectively adjusting the ends of the ushing bars Which engage the wippens 0 said sections of actions.

In testimony-whereof I have hereunto set myhand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS DANQUARD. [L. s.] Witnesses E.'A. PHILLIPS,

'WM. P. OoLLms. 

